Improvement in freight-cars



FOOTE & ORTON.

- Freight Car.

No. 41,212. Patented Jan. 12, 1864.

a Inventor,

6.41 Witnesses: 7 ya-4m,

AM- PHDTO-LITHO. CD. N-Y. (USBBiNES PROCESS.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. A

, CHARLES R. FOOTE AND JAMEs ORTON, or WILLIAMSTOWN, MAss.

IMPROVEMENT I Specification forming part of Letters N FREIGHT-CARS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OHARLEs R. FoorE and JAMES Oarornof Williamstown, in the county of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Freight-Gar; and we do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan or top view ofour invenlion; Fig. 2, a vertical central section of the same taken in the line mm, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a diminished side sectional view of the same, taken in the line yy, Fig. 1.

Similar letters'of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to a new and improved freight-car, designed moreespecially for transporting or carrying coal-oil and other liquids, grain in bulk,&c. V

The invention consists in constructing the body of the car of cylindrical or approximate form and encompassing the same with bands provided with flanges to serve as wheels. The body of the car is provided with an axle the journals of which are fitted in oblong bearings in a frame and arranged in connection with self-acting brakes, all being combined in such a manner that the body of the car will rotate as it is drawn along, and it is believed several advantages are obtained over the ordinary freight-cars in use.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

A represents the body of the car,which is of cylindrical or an approximate form, and constructed of either wood or metal. If constructed of metal,wrought-iron plates, riveted together like those of a steam-boiler, would be a good way of manufacturing them. Around the body A there are two massive wroughtiron bands,B B. These bands are placed at a suitable distance apart,and are provided with flanges a, so that said bands may serve the 0ffice of wheels and run upon the rails in the same way as those of an ordinary car. The

body A may be of any suitable dimensions. As a general thing its diameter and length will be about equal to the height and width of an ordinary freight-car.

0 represents the axis of the car-body. The

axis may extend entirely through the carbody, the ends of the former projecting sufliciently far through the ends or heads a of the ted in oblong bearings c a, made in the sides d d of a rectangular frame, D. The front and back bars, 0 e, of the .frame D have each two brake-shoes, E E, attached to them opposite the treads of the wheels B B. These shoesE are hung on pivots f, and are fitted in mortises in the bars 6 e in such a manner that their inner ends cannot descend below ahorizon'tal position, but may be raised above such a position, as will be understood by referring to Fig. 3. The journals b are allowed to rofate freely in the bearings c c, and also allowed to move or work in them from their front to their back ends, and vice versa.

In the car-body A there is a door, F, constructed and arranged in any proper way to the heads a of the car-body there is another door, G, said door being near the edge of the head.

The operation is as follows: The car-body is turned until the door F is brought to the top. The door F is then opened and the grain, oil, or other freight introduced intothe car-body. The freight may be taken from the as may be most convenient. When the car is arrow in Fig. 3, the journals 1) b will be at the back parts of the bearings c c, as the coupling is connected with the frame D, and the on theback part of the frame. These shoes, however, will offer no obstruction to the wheels, as the latter have the power to turn their inner ends upward, and said shoes simply rest uponthe wheels. The shoes on the front of the frame do not touch the wheels B during this movement of the car, in conseengine the speed of the train will be checked and the car-body, owing to its inertia, will move forward in the frame D, and the journals b will be at the front parts of the bearings c c, and the wheels B in contact with the car-body to form journals b b, which are fitadmit of being opened with facility and securely fastened, when required, and in one of car-body through either of the doors F or G,

drawn along in the direction indicated by the wheels B will be in contact with the shoes E quence of the journals b b being at the back. parts of the bearings c a; but when the engineer desires to stop the train and reverses the front shoes E E, and as the inner ends of the latter cannot bejforced downward, they will of course serve as brakes and act in the most efficient manner, owing to the large diameter of the wheels B. In case the engineer desires to back the train, the shoes on the back part of the frame D are shoved outward from the Wheels B as the frame D is moved back, and the shoes on the front part of said frame will be in contact with the wheels; but-the forward shoes will, in the latter case, be acted upon by the wheels in the same manner as the back shoes were during the forward movement of the car, as the wheels in the latter movement turn in a reverse direction and the front shoes cannot, therefore, serve to check the rotation v drawing a long trainconsequently a saving of fuel is effected; third, a saving in oil for lubricating purposes; fourth, non-liability of the breakage of axles, as they are not subject to strains and friction; fifth, nobrakemen are required, the engineer being enabled to control a whole train; sixth, the'brakes act more efficiently than those of ordinary cars in consequence of the large diameter of the wheels;

'seventh, moderate cost in construction and little'wear and tear; eighthpthe facility with which the cars can be unloaded and returned for use; ninth, the cars can be switched off from a main road and-each drawn by a single horse on the paved street of a city to a Warehouse or any desired place; tenth, a car can be used as a tender to carry water for a 1000- motive in cases where water cannot readily be procured on the route.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A car-body of cylindrical or an approximate form with wheels fitted on its periphery and arranged to rot-ate with its contents or load onthe rails, substantially as herein set forth..

2. The frame D, in combination with the car-body A, the journals of the latter being fitted in hearings in the former, substantially as described.

3. The oblong bearings c c in the frame D, in combination with the shoes E, placed on said frame, and all arranged to operate as and for thepurpose set forth. P CHARLES R. FOOTE.

JAMES .ORTON.

. \Vitnesses:

E. M. ORTON, ASAHEL FOOTE,

N. A. ADAMS, W. T. MAQAULEY. 

